Min: Russia needs firm EU warrants to build 2nd TurkStream line

MOSCOW, Jan 15 (PRIME) -- Russia will build the second line of the TurkStream gas pipeline only if it receives firm guarantees on the absence of obstacles from the European Commission, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.

“TurkStream may be prolonged to Europe, only the first line is being built so far, for the Turkish consumers. The second will be built only if we receive guarantees from the European Commission as firm as armored concrete that they will not pull the same stunt as with South Stream to Bulgaria which is ready to consider and accept the second line of TurkStream,” Lavrov said.

In December 2014, Russia decided to construct TurkStream, a gas pipeline that could run to the Turkey–Greece border to replace South Stream, supposed to carry Russian gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine. The project cancelled partially on E.U. demands.

The TurkStream pipeline was designed to consist of two branches with a length of over 900 kilometers and a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters (bcm) each. One of them, to be finished in 2018, is to carry Russian gas to Turkey, while the other is to transit gas to the European countries through Turkey and is to be finished in 2019.

Lavrov also said that the U.S. will not withstand fair gas competition with Russia. “Fear of fair competition is evident in the U.S. actions and since they will not withstand fair competition, they go to the lengths of unfair competition and political pressure to force the European countries to build corresponding facilities and receive more expensive gas.”